The 2017 photo l.a. exposition, which takes place at The Reef, will launch with the annual Opening Benefit Gala on Thursday, January 12, from 7-10 p.m., honoring the luminous and pioneering career of Weston Naef, founding curator of photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum and author of numerous books on the history and art of photography. The gala will benefit the Lucie Foundation and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. The gala is open to the public, who can purchase tickets online for $80 or at the door for $100. For more information and tickets, please visit: http://www.photola.com

Penelope Umbrico Bad Display Drawings

Taking place from January 12 through January 15, photo l.a.—the longest-running art fair in Los Angeles— engages the global arts community, bringing together more than 10,000 attendees each year from ardent enthusiasts to serious collectors. This year’s exposition aligns with Month of Photography Los Angeles (MOPLA), which has moved from April to January to reflect the fair’s importance in making the city of Los Angeles an international photography destination.

photo l.a. 2017 will offer dozens of programs, lectures and seminars including an activation with skateboarding legend Craig R. Stecyk III – whose life was portrayed in the 2001 award-winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys and film Lords of Dogtown – as well as panel discussions on subjects including Instagram andSnapchat as a form of photographic art and the synergies between fashion and photography.

Among the many other highlights of this year’s photo l.a. are two curated installations by Monroe Gallery of Photography. The first showcases LIFE magazine photographer Grey Villet’s intimate images of interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving, whose marriage in segregated Virginia in the 1960s is chronicled in Jeff Nichols’ newly-released feature film, Loving. The other, Tony Vaccaro: War, Peace, Beauty,exhibits the work of the Pulitzer-Prize winning war photographer, which is also the subject of a recent documentary.